When the Clock Strikes Midnight
by frazzledazzlegirl
Summary: An accident sends Hermione and Remus to the past where danger lies and the truth is revealed. A HGRL short story.


**A/N: This will only be a few chapters long, about 5 or 6 chapters long, I've almost finished and i'm just editing. This story is my first attempt at RL.HG fanficiton so bear with me, I'm just trying to put more variety of this stuff out there ****and I hope you all enjoy and review :)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, except the new DADA teacher, a Professor Eleanor Loveday.**

It was their 7th and final year at Hogwarts. After Dumbledore had died, no one thought they could ever return to Hogwarts, but then Remus John Lupin became the schools new Headmaster and that changed things. Yes he was a werewolf, but since the War had begun, things had gotten a bit easier for him, for example the Ministry of Magic didn't care who ran Hogwarts, in fact they had trouble finding anyone for it and had needed his help to lock up a few dangerous werewolves. Remus Lupin said he would do it on the condition that the standards for werewolves like himself would improve after the War, the Ministry of Magic agreed and thus Hogwarts had its new headmaster. Some people wondered why he took the job, why not teach Defence against the Dark Arts again, they needed a new teacher, but he just replied that he wasn't needed there to any who asked. Others also asked why Professor McGonagall wasn't the new Head teacher, but she was planning to retire soon and didn't want the job. Even though the school would be safe, many pupils dropped out, or were taken out by their parents, they were scared, and the only reason they let their children go the year before, was because Dumbledore was there to protect them, and he had died on the grounds by Death Eaters.Not that they didn't believe that Lupin couldn't stand up to the task of being headmaster, but if even Dumbledore wasn't safe, then how would their children be. However, there were still the faithful, and of these there were the Golden Trio, Harry, Ron and Hermione.

Harry had obviously been distraught, but Ron and Hermione convinced them that returning to Hogwarts would be best for him, it's what Dumbledore would have wanted they kept telling him, until eventually he agreed. The fact that Lupin was the new Headmaster helped Harry make his decision to return to Hogwarts, they had seen much of him during the start of the Summer Holidays, but hadn't seen him since he had taken up the new post, which was easier for him, he didn't want to be surrounded by memories of Tonks at Headquarters. She had been tortured and killed by Death Eaters and he couldn't get over her if he had stayed there haunted by their memories. Everyone knew how he blamed himself for the death, but nothing they said could convince him otherwise. Harry, Ron, Hermione and many others were all looking forward to seeing him again, they hadn't seen him for awhile since they had all joined up, excepting Ginny who wasn't of age. The Order needed everyone and these three had excelled themselves, and helped out in the summer with duties and missions. They weren't dangerous, but they all felt better doing something to help the organisation they all believed in. They would also try to help Lupin with his new duty for the Order which is to look after the interests of the Hogwarts students as Head master of Hogwarts.

So now it was September and the start of a new year. Hermione saw that the train wasn't as packed as it usually was, but there were still plenty of pupils as she made her way back from the Head boy and girls compartment. She saw Harry, Ron, Ginny, Luna and Neville were all sitting quietly in a compartment near the back and walked in quietly and sat down next to Ginny. She could tell that everyone was thinking about what had happened since the last time they had all been together. It had been during Dumbledore's funeral, and many things had changed since then. Hermione looked at Ginny and squeezed her hand, knowing her younger friend was hurting. She had been hiding her pain from everyone else except Hermione since Harry broke up with her and had been avoiding him all summer, which wasn't hard as she hardly saw him anyway, he was too busy with the Order. Now Ginny was sitting two seats away from him, and Hermione could tell that she didn't know how to act. Ginny loved him, but understood that he needed to be alone; but the pain was tearing away at her heart.

Hermione reflected on what had happened to her since the last school year. She had joined the Order and loved it, and excelled at researching and deciphering codes. However she had also been upset after she overheard a conversation between Harry and Ron. It turned out that Ron didn't like her more than a friend. It wasn't like she was in love with him, but she had always thought that they would end up together eventually. She was okay now but felt as if something had changed between them and was learning how to behave normally around Ron, who didn't know that she had heard him, or had liked him as more than a friend. She knew now that she hadn't truly liked him, but it still felt awkward for her. As if that wasn't bad enough she had developed a crush on a certain werewolf over the holidays and was trying hard to not like him, he would never like her, like Ron never had and besides it was completely, well, wrong. Distracting herself from her thoughts, Hermione looked around the carriage.

Neville was looking forlornly out the window, most probably remembering the last time he had seen his grandmother. She had died a month after Dumbledore, of old age and happy, but it had still affected him badly. Now he lived with his Great Uncle and had been focusing all his energy into The Order. The change in him had been huge, his determination to make his grandmother proud of made him a better wizard, Hermione smiled at him even though he wasn't looking at her. Luna had her head buried in The Quibbler, her father had become quite rich, ever since Harry's interview and other famous people had been interviewed on their thoughts about the war. Luna was still the same as ever though, lost in her dream like world. Ron was sitting next to Harry, and both were silent and staring at the floor. Ron had done a lot for The Order and now he had finally come into his own, while Harry on the other hand had been thinking about his parents a lot over the Summer. He kept thinking about how different his life would have been if it had indeed been Neville who Voldemort went after. He knew he should stop thinking about it, but he couldn't. Ever since Dumbledore had died, Harry had been thinking about the what-could-have-been's, he knew it was useless, but it was better than relaying in his head all the terrible things he had seen and will see in his quest to get rid of Voldemort and his horcruxes along the way. Hermione and Ron had been there for him to listen to, but they knew it wasn't enough, but it was all they could do.

Hermione felt dazed when the train stopped and everyone got off, and noticed the lack of many Slytherin members but didn't mention it to anyone, they had all noticed. They reached the castle in the invisible horse-drawn, or rather thestral-pulled carriages and entered the hall together, waving numbly goodbye to Luna as she left to go to her own table, Ravenclaw. Sitting down at the Gryffindor table everyone said their greetings and waited for the Sorting Hat to sort everyone out into their houses.

Hermione looked over to where Lupin was sitting on the Headmasters chair, and noticed how much he had changed since the last time she had seen him, and now he was looking a lot better. Before he had been distraught over Tonks' death last year, and had looked more pale and ill than usual, his shabby clothes hung loosely off him and she had worried about him. Now he looked younger, not happy, but healthier and had filled out and was wearing handsome robes that suited him, she was happy for him and hoped that her potions were helping him each full moon. After Snape killed Dumbledore, she had been making the potions for Remus each month. Lately she had just been sending them off to him as he was preparing for his new job, and she couldn't seen him, even though she had wanted to. She had worried that the potions were not good enough, and kept wondering whether Slughorn should make them, but Slughorn, well, no one had bothered to ask him and she thought that he would make a lot of fuss about it.

She let her eyes wander over the table and saw Hagrid and the other Professors and a strange beautiful woman sitting between Professor McGonagall and Professor Sprout. She must be the new Defence against the Dark Arts teacher, Hermione mused, they had only had a female teacher once before in that class, although she was hardly what you called a teacher anyway. Hermione wondered what this woman would be like, she had to be a better teacher and person than Umbridge, than all the ex Professors really, excepting Lupin. She looked like a nice person, but looks could be deceiving Hermione remembered as she surveyed the dark haired Professor. Hermione noticed she wasn't the only person who had seen the new teacher, many boys eyes were on this woman, including Ron and Harry's. Hermione sighed; she knew what the lessons would be like, every boy in the class drooling at the professor. She heard other annoyed sighs, and knew she wasn't the only one thinking that. Then she remembered her second year's Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, and supposed that it was the boys time now and couldn't really hold it against them, however much she wanted too.

Eventually Lupin stood up and gave his first speech, he seemed more confident than Hermione knew he was feeling and clapped the hardest and loudest along with the other junior members of The Order. He introduced the newest Defence against the Dark Art's teacher, Professor Eleanor Loveday whom everyone clapped for, and some boys wolf whistled, causing the young Professor to blush. After a few more words from Lupin everyone began to eat.

Hermione's thoughts were rapidly changing, from worrying about Ron, to the rest of her friends, then to her family and then to Lupin which she quickly changed to work which then changed to thoughts about the war. Her thoughts were beginning to get the better of her and all she wanted to do to go to bed and cry, but she knew she couldn't, she was head girl and had to be strong. She had to make sure everyone was okay and attend the first meeting of the year with Justin, who was Head boy. She went over to inform the Gryffindor prefects the password that they had been told on the train, said goodbye to the others and went over to Justin who had been beckoning her for the past few minutes. She let him babble on as they walked to Dumbledore's old office, which was now Lupins, and nodded here and there, wherever appropriate, which was enough for Justin, who paused only to give the password to the stone Gargoyle.

As soon as they entered the room, Hermione could immediately sense the different atmosphere, even though she herself had only been in this room once. Whilst the room still looked vaguely the same, it didn't feel the same, just one more of those changes that were happening in their lives. Lupin was sat behind his desk and smiled at the both of them. He told them the things they would need to know, the privileges they would have and the duties they would need to perform. Hermione felt unable to speak and let Justin do all the talking. As they were about to leave, Lupin asked Hermione to stay behind, to thank her for the potions she had been making him, and she felt more awkward than usual and she didn't know why until she realised. This was the first time she had been alone with him. There had always seemed to be someone else there, it was funny how that though struck her now, making her feel even more awkward, something she thought impossible. Lupin seemed to also have been thinking along the same lines or that she looked uncomfortable or tired. Probably all of them she thought and they both said goodnight, not sure of what exactly had happened.

Hermione walked back to her dorm and she wondered how the rest of the year would go, would she be able to survive it, what would happen to everyone, and what had just happened in Lupins office. She had felt so out of place, but tried to shrug it off with a I'm just not used to him being headmaster and nothing else and crawled into bed, where sweet dreams turned into ghastly nightmares, as they always do in times like these.

**A/N: Well I hoped you liked it, and even if you didn't please review! Tell me if I made any mistakes, or if you liked/hated a certain part or whatever you want too! I don't mind :)**


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